HEY! From Vancouver

Wednesday was a long one. Left home at 5:30 P.M. and got to the hotel at 5:30 P.M. in our rental car. It was a challenge to get from the airport to the hotel, but we made it with only a minor glitch or two. Our hotel, The Sylvia, is in a truly lovely area that is not overly crowded with cars and which butts up to the beach and the wonderful Stanley Park. We quickly changed clothes and took a hike along the sea wall before we walked up a busy street to find dinner. We saw a likely spot with outdoor seating and noticed a fish and chips special for $10 with fresh halibut. Sold! We were seated outside with Ron awaiting a cup of coffee when we looked over the menu and realized this was NOT the place for us. I was contemplating what I would find the least offensive and this for dinners that ran around #30 each. Ron and I discussed it and when the waiter returned, we told him coffee was it and there would be no dinner. He was remarkably kind so we finished our coffee, gave him a nice tip and got the hell out of there! Went up the street to Knight and Days where I had a lovely chicken wrap and Ron something to his liking and the whole thing was $20. There you go. Once back at the hotel, we realized we would not oulast the sun and so settled into our beds for the night. Awoke this morning to the sun already up, just past 5 A.M. with a soft light on the bay. I opened wide the window and leaned out a bit for a photo. My dearest Ron went to Starbucks for coffee and scones and we lounged around, taking stock of the day. We left around 7 A.M. for Lynn Regional Park where we walked several miles, crossing a suspension bridge and following 2 or three trails to see waterfalls, a 30 foot pond, another bridge over a ravine and very beautiful scenes throughout. We met a few hardy souls but were finishing up several hours later as the tour and school buses started to arrive. Congratulating ourselves on our cleverness, we headed back to town, retracing our steps and going again to Stanley Park. It's akin to Central Park in NYC, just scaled down in the number of people and buildings that you see. We walked around Hidden Lagoon in its entirety which took about an hour and saw several nesting swans, a racoon, and countless ducks and other birds. Very wonderful. More from the ship. Jackie and Larry arrive tonight and we take off on a bus tour of the city in the morning.